His Reward
by controlled climb
Summary: Seeing those Potter Stinks! badges really does her in. And so she marches up to that Macmillan boy, well aware of the beautiful Hannah Abbott turning her nose at her unconditioned hair, and stands in front of him, her head shaking in disgust.


pairing credit: m&mwp.

* * *

Padma's a nice girl. At least, that's what everyone tells her. Even Parvati tells her that, and Parvati's the one that's known her forever. The TriWizard Tournament doesn't mean much to her. And why should it? A Ravenclaw didn't get the spot. But as she strolls down the corridor, her blue and silver robes swishing proudly to the rhythm of her steps, she can't help but frown.

Now, Padma's never believed in taking sides either. So when the house "war" between Hufflepuff (Diggory) and Gryffindor (Potter) came about, she hid away in the library with her nose in a book, glad to keep up Ravenclaw traditions. But seeing those _Potter Stinks! _badges really does her in. And so she marches up to that Macmillan boy, well aware of the beautiful Hannah Abbott turning her nose at her unconditioned hair, and stands in front of him, her head shaking in disgust.

"What do you want, Patil?" Hannah is quick to snap, her arm lying protectively on Ernie's upper arm. "Don't you have a book to read? An essay to write?"

"Shut up, Hannah," Ernie says, sounding more exasperated than he perhaps should. He turns to Padma and she shivers under his scrutiny. "Yeah, so why you looking at me like that?"

Padma eyes him back after a moments hesitation. She holds her head high and then primly replies, "Those badges you're wearing are disgusting. And you call yourself a Hufflepuff? Why can't you be loyal to Potter _and_ Diggory? They both face the same danger in the competition and you ought to be supportive of both of your _school_ friends."

"You've got no right to judge," Ernie snaps back easily. "What, wandering about the corridors gloating about your grades and then wondering why people don't like you? And I thought Ravenclaws were meant to be intelligent."

The comment stings more than she'd care to admit, but she doesn't let it show. She lowers her voice, but says just as decisively as she would have yelling, "Take the badge off."

Hannah scoffs. "Oh puh-_leaze._" She stops to tug on Ernie's robe sleeve. "Let's go. Patil's just wasting our time."

"And if we don't take them off?" Ernie tries, ignoring the girl's pleas. "What then? Hex us into oblivion, will you?"

"I don't know, but I do know some rather creative hexes. I've been looking to test them out, if you're offering."

He turns a rather fetching shade of purple as Padma taps the pocket where her wand his and blinks innocently up at him. It's times like these when she's glad she's a Ravenclaw. Because although she's absolute rubbish at hexes, people are always scared of those pretty plum ribbons tangled in her hair.

"And if I do take them off?"

Padma rolls her eyes. "I don't hex your balls off. What do you want? A reward?"

He smirks, his eyes traveling up and down her body, despite his arm tightening around Hannah. He winks. "Yeah, a reward would be nice."

Shuddering under the inspection, she pulls her wand from her pocket, holding it against his crotch with glinting eyes as he gasps. "Nice, but not necessary, am I correct?" She almost lets go of her cool, collected image as he gulps and nods. "Good. Now, take off the badge."

Hannah gives a _hmph! _and detaches herself from his grasp. "Well, I can't say I've got anything on my crotch that's threatened by you, Patil, so I'll be off - badge and all. I'll see you later, Ernie... after you've grown some."

Ernie, however, doesn't take his eyes off the witch in front of him and he pulls off his badge quickly, throwing it on the floor and breathing a sigh of relief as she removes her wand.

"Thank you," Padma says softly. Looking up at him, she adds, "You can leave now."

"What about my reward?"

Fury blazes in her eyes. "What reward? Didn't I say that you are not -"

The kiss that cuts her off is short, chaste and hardly anything to gloat about. Yet the split second later after he's stepped back, he's grinning down at her like a Cheshire Cat.

"Yeah," he says, taking advantage of her speechlessness. "That'll do."

"That'll do?" she exclaims at his retreating body. "That better bloody do! That's all you'll ever get, Macmillan!" She looks like a fool screaming down a corridor, but she doesn't really mind as she touches her no longer pure lips. "Ever! I'm a Ravenclaw, damn it! I'll kill you next chance I get!"

He's far away from her now though and she doesn't hear him mutter, "Not that I didn't enjoy myself, Sunshine, but I swear to Merlin you're not worth the death threats. Shan't be _wanting_ to kiss you again."

But still the chanting of "Kill you! ... Hex your bullocks off! ... Dead!" echo down the halls as he scrambles back to the Hufflepuff common room - probably the only place he'll be safe for awhile.


End file.
